Transferring machinery



@L 3, 1944., w. L.. MCNAMARA TRANSFERRING MACHINERY Filed Sepi.. 20,1911.1 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lim 1N VENTOR. Milz /Kga /l/Zzma a Y HTTOR N E YUilm Oct'. 3, 1944. w. L. McNAMARA v 2,359,433

TRANSFERRING MACHINERY l Filed Sept. 20, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 72 74? 3f A 150 151,56 6

11575, .A e O 'iiw I uw I y w a A 59 53 TTORNEY Oct. 3, 1944. w.MQNAMARA 2,359,433

TRANSFERING MACHINERY Filed Sept. 20, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTGR.Milian! Mr/@Mdm ATTORNEY Oct. 3, 1944. w. L. M CNAMARA 2,359,433

TRANSFERRING MACHINERY Filed sept. 20, 1941 5 sheets-sheet 5 V INVENTOR.f; Wil/mfr! Z. Mc/Vamm.

HTTORNEY Patented Oct. 3, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRANSFERRINGMACHINERY William L. McNamara, Iancaster, Ohio, assignor to AnchorHocking Glass Corporation, Lancaster, Ohio, a corporation of DelawareApplication September 20, 1941, Serial No. 411,716

22 Claims.

The present invention relates to transferring devices and moreparticularly to devices for transferring glassware and the like.

Glassware, at the present time, is sold in large quantities at low cost.Hand operations and skilled labor must be eliminated or minimizedwherever possible in order for the manufacture of the ware to beprofitable. A persistent problem is the transfer of the molded glasswarefrom one machine to another. Generally, the ware is delivered from amold or fabricating machine to a conveyor and from the conveyor to anannealing lehr which anneals the ware to eliminate strains therein andbreakage resulting therefrom. In many cases the ware has to be glazed,which requires subjecting the rim to a flame to remelt and smooth theedge thereof. In such cases, the ware leaving the fabricating machinemust be delivered to and removed from the glazing machine. Manuallytransferring the ware to and from the machines would materially increasethe cost thereof. Because of the substantial saving in automaticallytransferring glassware and because of the difficulty encountered in sodoing, a number of transfer devices have been devised. Among theproblems encountered are the breakage of glassware due to its fragilenature, the removal of the ware from molds or other enveloping orpartially enveloping supports, and the handling with a single machine ofthe various sizes and shapes of ware. The present invention is animprovement upon existing machines in many respects. It is particularlyapplicable to handling various sizes and shapes of ware and in removingthe ware from pockets without breakage and Without requiringintermittent operation of the machines. However, the machines may .'neintermittently operated, if desired. The device is particularly adaptedto engage the upper side of the bottom of the ware which in most casesis flat or reasonably so, thereby facilitating supporting the ware witha suction holder. In addition, the device effectively removes ware frompockets without permitting it to contact with the sides of the pocketsor with other obstructions to lateral movement.

The present invention aims to provide a transfer device which isapplicable to various sizes and shapes of ware and adaptedv to remove itfrom, and deliverit to various types of supports without breakage. Theinvention aims further to provide an improved transfer device which issimple in construction and which may be readily operated with little orno attention from an attendant.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved device fortransferring glassware and similar articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple device fortransferring articles such as glassware from one position to another.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved transferringdevice which will quickly raise an article out of a pocket or mold topermit lateral transfer thereof.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a device responsive tocontact with an article for automatically raising the articleimmediately upon engagement therewith.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suction holder supportedby adevice adapted to move the holder upwardly immediately that itengages an article.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means foraccurately positioning an article on a conveyor to facilitate engagementof the article by a transfer device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and effectivemeans for synchronizing a transfer device with respect to a machine forreceiving or delivering articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means foradjusting the phase relation between a transfer device and a machinedelivering articles thereto or receiving articles therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide an' improved transferdevice adapted to accommodate a greater range of sizes and shapes ofware.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings,forming a part of the specification, wherein Fig. I is a schematic topplan view of the present invention utilized in delivering glassware toand removing it from a glazing machine;

Fig. 2-is a side elevational view of a preferred `embodiment ofthetransfer device;

Fig. 3a is a vertical sectional view through the upper part of thetransfer device and Fig. 3b is a continuation of Fig. 3a showing avertical sectional view through the lower part of the machine; Flgs. 3aand 3b are shown separately in order to permit ample enlargement.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-0 of Fig. 3b illustratingfeatures of the driving mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Fig, 3b, illustratingthe holding means for the clutch;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through a valve forsubjecting the vessel engaging means to suction and atmosphere;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view along the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional View illustrating the removal of a dish from aholder on a glazing machine;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional View through the preferred embodiment ofvessel engaging means; Y

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional View through another embodiment ofvessel engaging means;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view through another embodiment ofvessel engaging means;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view along the line I2-I2 of Fig. 2 illustratingthe means for positioning articles on a moving conveyor; and

Fig. 1.3 is a sectional view along the line I3-I3 of Fig. 2,illustrating the means for adjusting the stationary cam with respect tothe turret.

Referring again to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1thereof, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrateddelivering glassware to and removing it from a glazer I. The glazer isillustrative of the general application of the invention to any type ofmachine, conveyor or support. The details of' the glazer are notillustrated herein as they are not a part of the invention but such amachine generally consists of a conveyor 2 having holders 3 forretaining supports 4 on which articles such as glassware may be placed.A sectional view of one form of glazer conveyor is shown in Fig. 8. The

.articles are conveyed past a series of burners which apply sufficientheat to the rims of the articles to remelt them and eliminate any sharpedges or projections. A transferring device 6 is shown' receiving warefrom a conveyor 1 and loading "it on the glazer. A second` transferringmechanism is shown removing the ware after it has been re polished bythe glazer. It will be understood that the relative positions of theglazer 1 and the transferring devices 6 are intended to be illustrativeand that they may be changed to various other positions depending uponthe plant layout and the interconnecting machinery.

While any suitable source of power may be utilized, it is desired tohave the glazer and the transferring device timed with respect to eachother which is preferably accomplished by utilizing the same drive. Asillustrated in Fig. 1 the main drive shaft 8 is operatively connected todrive the glazer I through gears 9 and I0 and is operatively connectedto drive the transfer device 6 through shafts II and I2, sprockets I4and I5, chain I6, and shaft I1 leading to the transfer device. Theglazer is frequently required to re polish Ware varying greatly in size.For example, in one instance, the ware may be a very small dish and inanother it may be a large dish. The accommodation of different size wareis usually accomplished by having the holders 3 relatively closetogether so that with small ware a support 4 may be placed on eachholder 3. With larger ware, a support is attached to every secondholder. With still larger ware, a support may be attached only to eachthird holder. Thus, the transfer device may be required to deliver wareto each holder, each second holder or each third holder on the glazerdepending upon the size of the ware. One way of achieving this result isto change the relative sizes of the sprockets I4 and I5. Anothermechanism is provided within the drive of the transfer device foraccomplishing the same results and will be described.

hereinafter.

Described generally and referring more particularly to Fig. 2 of thedrawings, the transfer device 6 comprises a base I8 adapted to house thedrivin-g gears and adapted to support a vertical shaft IS. A turret 20is mounted about the vertical shaft and carries a plurality of suctionheads 2I which are adapted to engage articles, such as the dish 22delivered by a conveyor 1, raise them from the conveyor, transfer themto another suitable position, and lower them onto another conveyor orsupport. A pair of vertical rods 24 extend upwardly from the base of thetransfer device and are connected by a cross brace 25 to the verticalshaft I9 in order to reinforce the latter.

The construction of the preferred embodiment of the transfer device 6 isshown in the vertical cross-sectional View illustrated in Figs. 3 a and3b. Referring more particularly to Fig. 3b showing the drive, the baseI8 has a. bearing 26 extending about the vertical shaft I9 and rotatablysupporting the lower end of a hollow column or shaft 21. A bushing orbearing 23 is provided at the lower end of the hollow column 21 forrotatably holding the hollow column 21 about the shaft I9. A secondbearing 28 is provided about the hollow member 21 at the upper part ofthe base I8. A bushing or bearing 29 is interposed between the upper endof the mem- Iber 21 (Fig. 3a) and the shaft I9. Thus, the hollow member21 is free to rotate about the vertical supporting shaft I9. For thepurpose of rotating the hollow member 21, there are keyed v to it threegears 30, 3| and 32 of different sizes separated by suitable bushings.These gears are driven vby clutch gears 30a, 3Ia, and 32a, which areslidably keyed to shaft 34, mounted in bearings 33. A bracket 35 havinga hub 36 at one end, carrying gears 30a, 3Ia and 32a, is rigidly fixedat its other end to clutch rod 31. The rod 31, together with the bracket35 is adapted to be moved vertically by means of the clutch lever 33pivoted at one end to a support 39 and operatively connected at 40 tothe clutch rod 31. By raising and lowering the opposite end of thehandle 4I of the clutch lever, the clutch gears 30a, 3Ia and 32a may bemade to mesh selectively with gears 30, 3| and 32, respectively, on thehol- 21 which carries and rotates the turret 20. Pref.

erably the sizes of the gears are chosen so that at high speed thesuction heads 2| will be synchronized with each holder 3 on the glazer,at the intermediate speed, with each second holder and, at the lowestspeed, with each third holder. This, as pointed out above, permits awide range in the sizes of ware to be glazed, by adjusting the clutchand by changing the size of the supports on the holders 3 of the glazerconveyor.

I n order to retain the clutch is proper position, there is provided onthe clutch rod 31 a series of notches 42 on the respective sides thereof(Figs. 3b and 5). In the housing of the base I8 about the rod 31 are aseries of balls 44 held 'in position by springs 45 adapted to engagethese notches 42 and hold the rod 31 resiliently in selected positions.When pressure is applied to the handle 4I of the clutch, the balls 44will spring out of the notches 42 and permit the clutch to be changedfrom one position to another.

A second shaft 46 ismounted below and in vertical alignment with theclutch shaft 34 with the ends thereof rin bearings 41 and 48. The| lowerbearing is supported by a plate 49 bolted to the base I8. A gear 50 iskeyed to the shaft 46 and meshes with a gear 5| on the drive shaft |1(Figs. 1 and'4) which is in turn operatively connected to the main driveshaft 8 through sprockets I4 and I5, chain I6 and shafts II and I2. Abevel gear 52 (Fig. 3b) is also keyed to shaft 46 and is adapted todrive the bevel gear 54, keyed to the lower end of clutch shaft 34,through the intermediation of gear 55 rotatably mounted in the bearings56 carried by a plate 51. Plate 51 isrotatably mounted on the bearings33 and 48 and is bolted to a plate 59 which is in turn bolted to gear60. The position of the gear 60 is controlled (Figs. 3b and 4) by a wormgear 6| on shaft 62 operated by a handwheel 64. Thus,

' by operating the handwheel 64, the gear 60 is rotated by the worm gear6I which, in turn, rotate's the plate 51 and moves the gear 55 withrespect to the bevel gears 52 and 54 on the ends of shafts 46 and 34respectively. As long as the position of the plate 51 and gear 55 arenot changed, the gear 55 merely transmits the movement of gear 52 to thegear 54 but when the position of gear 55 is changed the angular relationbetween the two gears 52 and 54 is changed. In other Words, if the bevelgear 52 is kept stationary and the gear 55 moved by operation of theadjusting handle 64, the bevel gear 54 will have to rotate. The rotationof gear 54 will rotate shaft 34 and through the clutch gears 3|a andgear 3| on shaft 21 will rotate the turret on the transfer device. Inthis way, the hand wheel 64 may be utilized to synchronize or registerthe suction heads 2| accurately with the holders 3 on the glazerconveyor 2.

On the side of the shaft I9 opposite to the drive, there is shown ashaft 65, mounted in bearings 66 and 61, having a gear 68 meshing withgear 30, and operatively connected to a second shaft 69 to rotate avalve member 10 for timing any suitable mechanism with respect to theoperation of the transfer mechanism.

For purposes of vertical adjustment of the tur'- ret 20 a hollowsupporting member 1| extends about the upper end of the member 21, itslower end being supported by a hand wheel 12 adjustably secured to athread 14 on the exterior of the member 21. By rotation of the handwheel 12, the member 1I and the turret 20 supported thereon may beraised to any suitable level to correspond .to the height of theconveyors or supports with which the transfer device is to be operated.The upper end of the member 1I has a flange 15 (Fig. 3a) adapted toextend beneath and support the central hub 16 of the turret 20. Sincethe hollow member 1| is slidably keyed to the member 21 at 13, theturret will be rotated with the member 21 when the drive shaft of thetransfer device is driven to operate the machine. Thus the suction heads2| will be rotated with the turret. The suction heads are mounted onrods 11 mounted in guideways 18 and have at their upper ends cam rollers19 in engagement with a stationary cam 80. The cam 80 is shaped so thatthe suction heads 2| will be lowered to engage ari article which is tobe picked up and will be brought to the proper level to deposit thearticle on the support to which rit is to be delivered. For convenience,the central shaft I9 is hollowed at its upper end 8| so that a suitablesource of suction 82 (Fig. 2) may be attached at its upper end. Arotatable sleeve 84 extends about the central shaft I9 and is sealedthereto by gaskets 85 and 85 at its respective ends. The sleeve 84rotates with the turret and has outlets or conduits 81 in communicationwith the source of suction at the hollowed portion 8| of the shaft I9 toconnect the suction heads 2| alternately to vacuum and to atmosphere bymeans of a. star wheel 89 actuated by a pin 90 secured to an adjustablecollar 9| on the stationary casting 92. The position of the pins 90 maybe simultaneously adjusted by means of a hand wheel 94 having a gear 95meshing with the gear rack 96 on the inner periphery of the collar 9|.Thus the collar 9| which is rotatably mounted may be adjusted so thatthe vacuum and atmosphere are applied at the proper instants withrespect to the operation ofthe machines delivering and receiving theglassware.

The details of the vacuum control valves 88 are illustrated moreparticularly in Figs. 3a, 6 and '1. The outer casing 91 has acylindrical bore or bearing 98 in which a cylindrical valve member 99 ismounted having a stem |00 extending from its upper end and rigidlysecured to the star wheel 89. Suitable bearings |0| are secured to theupper and lower `ends of the valve member 99 by plates |02 tofacilitaterotation. As will be pointed out later, in some instances it may bedesirable to attach suction conduits to both ends of the pneumaticcylinders |20 (Fig. 9) for operating the suction head and hence it maybe desirable to control two conduits leading from the valves 88. Thevacuum conduit 81, at one side of the casing 91, connects with twohorizontal bores or conduits |04 and |05 which lead through the centralcylindrical .bore or bearing 98 to outlets |06 and |01 to be controlledby the valve member 99. When the star wheel rotates the valve member 99,the diametric conduits |00 and |09 therein connect, alternately, thesuction conduits |04 and |05 with the outlets |06 and |01, respectively.An atmosphericl conduit ||0 connects with the outlet |01 throughvertical grooves or passageways in the valve member 99. This sameatmosphere conduitl connects with the suction outlet |06 throughvertical grooves ||2 in the member 99. Thus, as the star wheel rotatesmember 99, the conduit |06, leading to the upper end of the cylinder|20, is subjected to vacuum during a portion of each turn of theturretand,

is closed to vacuum and open to atmosphere during a subsequent portionof the turn, the times of opening and closing can be changed byadjustment of the pins 90 which operate the star wheels 89. Likewise theconduit |01 leading to the lower end of the cylinder |20, is subjectedaltkrnately to vacuum and to atmosphere at the desired times. The starwheel, in the preferred embodiment, is rotated one-quarter turn eachtime it engages one of the members 90.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 9 illustrating the preferredembodiment of suction head for engaging and holding glassware, a ballmember I4 is secured to the end of the supporting rod 11A by a threadedprojection I I3 thereon, and is vheld in position in the cavity in theupper end of the member ||5 by means of a threaded cap ||6 forming ineffect a ball and socket joint. The lower part of the ball member I|4has a depression ||1 therein adapted to receive a holding member |8resiliently held in position by a spring ||9 The ball mem-ber ||4 andholding member ||9 retain the suction head resiliently in position undernormal operating conditions. Should the suction head hit an obstructionthe connection provided will permit it to be rotated about the ball ||4to clear the obstruction without breakage of parts. An air cylinder |20is secured to the member with a piston |2| therein. A hollow piston rod|22 extends through the lower end of the cylinder and also through thepiston |2|. The lower end |24 of the cylinder rod is preferably ballshaped and has secured about it an article engaging member |25 withsuction apertures |26 therein. Preferably the member |25 is held inposition on the ball shaped end |24 by means of rings |21 held inposition by the cover plate |29 bolted to the upper end of the member|25. A suitable arm |30 has a guide pin |3|, which fits into a guideway|32 in an extension from the lower part of the air cylinder |20. Thepins |3| and their cooperating parts prevent rotation of the suctionheads about the supporting piston rod |22. The suction conduit |06 `maybe threaded to the upper end of the air cylinder |20 as shown at |06a. Aspring |34 resiliently holds the piston |2| in its lower position.Normally, gravity is suflcient to lower the piston but in some instancesit may become jammed to a. slight extent. Hence, the spring is furtherassurance of a quick return of the suction head to its lower positionwhen the conduit |06 and the upper end of the cylinder are opened toatmosphere.

It is to be noted that the suction head illustrated in Fig. 3a is thesame as that illustrated in Fig. 9 with the exception that a suctionAconduit |01 is connected to the bottom of the air cylinder |20 belowthe piston at |01a in addition to the suction conduit |06 above thepiston. This second suction connection is ordinarily not necessary asthe spring 34 and gravity are sufficient to return the piston to itslower position. vHowever, if desired, the valves 88 controlling thesuction are adapted to Supply suction to both ends of the air cylinder|20 and thereby positively move the piston in both directions. Pneumaticdownward movement of the piston |2| may be desirable to facilitateengagement of the suction heads with certain types of ware.

A feature of the improved suction head described above is the automaticraising of the ware immediately that the suction head engages the ware.Referring to Fig. 9, when vacuum has been applied to the conduit |06 atthe upper part of the air cylinder |20, the suction has no eiect otherthan to draw in the atmosphere through apertures |26 and the hollowpiston rod |22. The apertures |26 are sufllciently large to prevent thecreation of an effective partial vacuum within the air cylinder.Immediately that the member |25 engages the bottom of the ware as shownin Figs. 3a and 8, the apertures |26 are closed and they can no longerplay any part in relieving the effect of the suction on the air cylinder|20. The vacuum built up back of the piston |2| immediately raises thepiston which raises the ware a short distance almost instantly uponengagement with the ware. The importance of this may be appreciated byreferenceto Fig. 8. Here the suction heej 2| is shown removing a dish 22from a support 4 on the holder 3 of a glazer conveyor.

It will be seen that lateral movement of the dish,

22 with respect to its support 4 is not possible until the dish has beenraised. Therefore, an auxiliary movement supplementing the cam movementof the suction heads adds to the utility of the device. The fact thatthe suction head operates automatically to raise the ware uponengagement therewith eliminates the necessity for accurate timing andfor accurate adjustments. The end |25 of the suction head beingresiliently mounted about a ball will adjust itself readily to thebottom of the ware engaged.

The suction head illustrated in Fig. 10 is similar to that illustratedin Figs. 3a and 9, the principal difference being that the supportingrod 11a is threaded into a plate ||5a closing the upper end of the aircylinder |20, omitting the ball and socket connection shown in Fig. 9.In this connection, the spring |34, shown in Fig. 9 is omitted andgravity is relied upon to return the suction head to its lower position.Where circumstances make it desirable, vacuum may be applied directly tothe hollow support 11a or as described hereinbefore to the upper end ofthe cylinder at |06a.

Another form of ware holding device is illustrated in Fig. 1l, which isparticularly adapted to engage the rim of the ware or some projection onthe ware to raise and transfer it where the bottom of the Ware is notsuitable for engagement by the member |25 of the preferred embodiment.The ball and socket connection between the rod 11 and the ware holderare the same as described above with reference to Fig. 9. The aircylinder |20a has at its lower` end a pair of extensions |30 to whicharms |31 are pivotally attached. The lower ends of the arms have wareengaging fingen |38 which are adapted to grip the rim of the ware. Theair cylinder 20a has a piston |2|a therein retained in its lowerposition by a spring |34. A piston rod |22a has attached to its lowerend links |39 connecting it to the pivoted gripping members |31. Whenvacuum or suction is applied to the air cylinder |20a, piston |2|a israised and the links |39 are operated through the piston rod |22a toclose the pivoted members |31 about the rim of the article. While thepreferred form of suction head is illustrated in Fig. 9, the presenttype of gripper may be desirable for certain types of ware.

Referring again to Figs. 2 and 3a, it will be noted that the casting 92carrying the cam 80 and the valve operating members 90 is keyed to theshaft I9 so that it does not rotate with the turret. In certaininstances, it is desirable to adjust the cam to vary the angularpositions of the high and low points of the cam, for the purpose ofvarying the points at which ware is received and delivered by thetransfer device. In order to facilitate such an adjustment there isprovided adjacent the upper end of the shaft I9 a gear |40 (Fig. 13)keyed to the shaft i9 and meshing with a worm gear |4| on shaft |42mounted in bearings |44. A hand wheel |45 on the end of shaft |42 isadapted to rotate the gear |40 and the shaft |9 to rotatably adjust thecam 60 with respect to the turret so that the position where ware isreceived and delivered may be changed. The gear |40 has a housing |46which extends about it and is secured to shaft I9 and the bracingYshafts 24.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and l2, it will be noted that insome instances a conveyor 1 may deliver Ware to the transfer device.Such conveyors have to be unusually wide to accommodate various sizes ofware. It is desirable that the ware be in a predetermined position sothat the suction heads will engage the ware properly. Suitable stops |48may be utilized to limit the movement of the ware in the direction ofthe movement of the conveyor. In order to fix the position of the warein a lateral direction, the

the conveyor.

aasaess stop |49 has an extension |49 engaging the side cf the ware. Byoscillating the extension iaterally of the conveyor, the position of theware may be fixed both laterally and longitudinally of The preferredform of means for accomplishing this result is illustrated in Figs. 2,3b and 12. The stop |48 is attached to a collar |50 pivotally held onthe rotatable member |5| by a threaded member |54. The collar I 50 isresiliently held in position by spring |55 attached to an extension |56thereon at one end and to one of the vertical shafts 24 at its otherend. Thus, the stop |49 is normally retained in its outer positionlaterally of the conveyor by the spring |55. The rotatable member |5I iskeyed to the hollow member 21 and rotates the series of pins |51 securedin bearings |58 thereon and held in their downward position by springs|59. IA stationary cam |80 bolted to the'base I8 raises the pins |51 sothat they engage, as shown in Fig. 3b, the member |50 to move themembers |49 and |50v laterally, thereby to position the ware beingreceived. The cam |80 has a drop at the position where it is desired torelease the member |49 so that the pins |51 drop and the member |49 maybe drawn back by the spring |59. In this way, .the member |50 and theextension |49 are oscillated laterally. The cam |60 may be adjusted bymeans of the bolts ISI and the slot |52 to limit the lateral movement ofthe extension |49.

In the operation ofthe device, glassware may be delivered by a conveyorI 41 (Fig. 2) to the suction heads 2 I. The stop |48 limits the movementof the ware by the conveyor. The lateral oscillation of the stop |48 andextension |49 by means of the cam |90, pins |51 and spring |55 positionsthe articles laterally of the conveyor so that they will be in thedesired position in each instance. As an article reaches the properposition, a suction head 2| is lowered by the cam 80 and cam roller 19into engagement with the bottom or other surface of the article. At thetime of the engagement suction is being applied to the head 2| throughthe conduit |09, air cylinder |20, rod |22 and apertures |28 in vesselengaging member |25. The suction becomes effective to hold the articlesagainst the end of the suction head upon engagement therewith.Simultaneously, the closing of the apertures |28 causes a vacuum tobuild up in the air cylinder which raises the piston |2| and the lowerend |25 of the suction head. Thus, the article is immediately raisedupon engagement therewith to remove it from the pocket of the supportingmember and to cause it to clear any obstructions to lateral movement.Thereafter, the lateral movement of the suction head 2| by the turret 20transfers the article .to a suitable support which may be, for example,the support 4 on a conveyor for a glazer. At that point, the cam 80 haslowered the suction head to a. point where the article is in engagementwith or proximate to the support where it is to be deposited. Thereuponthe vacuum line is open to atmosphere, which releases the article. Inthis manner, the several suction heads pick up and deposit ware as theyrotate with the turret and are moved up and down by lthe cam 80. Thesource of suction connected to the hollow end 8| of the shaft I9 may becommunicated to the air cylinders |20 through conduit 8|, conduits 81,control valves 88 and conduits |03 leading to the air cylinders. Thevacuum conduits |06 leading to the air cylinders |20 are openedalternately to vacuum and to atmosphere through .the valve member 99rotated by the star wheel 89. The pins I9 which operate the star wheelsmay be adiusted with respect to the stationary casting 92 by means ofthe hand wheel 94 and gear 95 meshing with gear teeth 98 on the ringsupporting the pins 90. The position of the cam" which raises and lowersthe suction heads may be adjusted as desired by means of the hand wheel|45 (Figs. 2 and 13). The latter is mounted on shaft |42 to rotate wormgear |4I meshing with gear |40 keyed to shaft I9 on which the stationarycasting 92 is mounted.

The drive for the machine is preferably common to the drive of theglazer or other machine to which ware is being delivered or from whichit is being removed. As shown herein the drive shaft I1 is operativelyconnected to .the main drive shaft 8by sprocket I5, chain I6, sprocketI4, and shafts I| and |2. The worm gear 5| on shaft I1 drives the clutchshaft 94 through gear 50, bevel gear 52, gear 55, and bevel gear 54keyed to shaft 34. The clutch shaft 34 has gears 30a, 3Ia and 32ameshing selectively with-gears 30, 9|, and 32 on the hollow member 21which is operatively connected to the rotating turret. The clutch may beoperated to drive the machine at any one of three speeds. the high speedpreferably causes a A suction head to register with each support 3 onthe ,conveyor of a glazer, the next speed causes the'suction head toregister with each second support and the third speed causes a suctionhead to register with each third support. The phase relation of thesuction heads and the ware support on the glazer may be 'adjusted bymeans of the hand wheel 55 (Fig. 4) which moves the gear 55, the plates51 and 59. This varies the phase relation between shaft 48 and clutchshaft 84.

It will be seen lthat the present invention provides an improved articletransferring Idevice which isparticularly applicable to the transfer ofglassware. The articles are securely held by vacuum operated heads whichdo not exert suflicient pressure or strain to break the fragile Ware.'I'he Ware is automatically raised in the preferred embodiment uponengagement of a suction head s therewith. Such auxiliary movementrenders the deviceparticularly applicable to removal of ware frompockets and molds.l The extent of the auxiliary movement can be anydesired amount and the subsequent cam controlled movement can be anyadditional amount. Usually, the auxiliary movement is relatively slightand rapid in order to clear any obstruction and to permit rapidoperation of the machine. Suitable adjustments are provided for variouscontingencies such as proper synchronization of the transfer device withother machines, change of the time of the application of vacuum andatmosphere at the suction heads, and change of the position forreceiving and delivering articles. 'I'he device is simple inconstruction and easily operated with little or no attention from anattendant.

As various other changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, itis to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an article transferring device, the combination of a rotatableturret, a plurality of article engaging means adapted to engage theupper sides of the bottoms of dishes, devices for mounting said articleengaging means on said turret including bendable joints, means forrotating said turret for transferring the engaged articles from oneposition to another, and automatic means responsive to the engagement ofthe article engaging means with an article for quickly raising thearticle auxiliary to the main movement thereof to cause the article toclear obstructions in the path of the main movement, said bendablejoints being effective to prevent damage to the transferring device inthe event of the failure of the raising means to raise the article.

2. In an article transferring device, the combination of a turret.adapted to be rotated for transferring articles from one position to another, a plurality of suction operated article engaging means adapted toraise articles from pockets and to hold them while being transferred,said engaging means having an aperture adapted to be closed by thearticle engaged, auxiliary means responsive to the closing of saidaperture to give the article a quick upward movement and devices formounting said engaging means on the turret including bendable jointseffective to prevent damage to the transferring device in the event theauxiliary means fails to operate.

3. In a transferring device of the class described, the combination of aturret adapted to b e rotated to transfer articles from one position toanother, a plurality of article engaging means for engaging and holdingthe articles, devices including a bendable joint for mounting saidarticle engaging means on the turret, cam means for raising and loweringsaid article engaging means as the turret rotates, and auxiliary meansfor raising said article engaging means when it engages an article toclear an adjoining obstruction, said bendable joint being effective toprevent damage to the transferring device in the event said auxiliarymeans fails to operate.

4. In a transferring device of the class described, the combination of aturret adapted to be rotated to' transfer articles from one position toanother, a plurality of article engaging means adapted to engage theupper sides of the bottoms of dishes seated in pockets, devices formounting said article engaging means on the turret including downwardlyextending members having bendable joints, means for moving said Iarticle engaging means vertically during their movement with saidturret, and auxiliary suction operated means automatically effectivewhen an article is engaged to raise the article out of the pocket, saidbendable joints being adapted to prevent damage to the transferringdevice in the event the auxiliary means fails to raise an article out ofa pocket.

5. In a transferring device ofthe class de-v scribed, the combination ofa turret adapted to be rotated to transfer articles from one position toanother, a plurality of lsuction heads mounted on said turret forengaging and holding the articles during transfer, valves on said turretfor subjecting said suction heads to suction and atmosphere, devices foroperating said valves, a pluralityA of members stationarily supportedwith respect to said turret for operating said devices, and means foradjusting the position of all of said members simultaneously.

6. In a transferring device of the class described, the combination of aturret adapted4 to be rotated to transfer articles to or from a machinehaving a series oi' removable article supports thereon, a plurality ofarticle engaging means on said turret adapted to engage and holdarticles, and means including a plurality of gears engage said gearsselectively for synchronizing the respective article engaging means onsaid turret selectively with' each of said supports and with alternatesupports whereby the several article engaging means will register withall or a part of the supports on the machine as they pass the turret toenable the machine to accommodate large articles by utilizing alternatesupports.

7. In an articletransferring device, the combination of a turret adaptedto be rotated to transfer articles from one position to another, articleengaging means mounted on said turret, pneumatic means for raising andlowering said article engaging means, a conveyor for delivering articlesto said article engaging means, a stop for holding articles stationaryin opposition to the movement of said conveyor, and means operativelyconnected to said turret to be moved thereby in a direction transverseto the movement of the conveyor for positioning said articles laterallyon said conveyor for proper engagement with the article engaging means,whereby they may be lowered successively into engagement with positionedarticles.

8. In an article. transferring device, the combination of articleengaging means for engaging and raising an article, a conveyor fordelivering articles to said engaging means, a stop for limiting themovement of said articles in one direction in opposition to the movementof the articles by the conveyor, and oscillatory means for yengaging andmoving the articles laterally with ,respect to the conveyor accuratelyto position them for engagement by the article engaging means and apneumatic cylinder for lowering said article engaging means intoengagement with a positioned article and for raising said engaging meansto raise the article.

9. In an article transferring device, the combination of a machinehaving transfer mechanism adapted to be lowered into engagement witharticles to raise the same, an air cylinder for raising and loweringsaid transfer mechanism,

a conveyor adapted to convey articles to said machine, a stop forlimiting the movement of said articles in one direction and oscillatory'means for moving the articles in av direction perpendicular to themovement of the conveyor for positioning the articles laterally withrespect to said conveyor, whereby the articles are properly positionedfor engagement by the transfer mechanism for raising and loweringarticles.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a turretadapted to be rotated to transfer articles from one position to another,a plurality of suction operated articles engaging means, a plurality ofpneumatic cylinders, means including members with bendable joints forsuspending said cylinders from said turret, pistons in said cylinders,piston rods connecting said article engaging means to said pistons toraise said article engaging means to clear obstructions, and conduitsconnecting the upper parts of each cylinder respectively to the articleengaging differing in size and a gear clutch adapted to means operatedthereby, said bendable joints being adapted to prevent damage to saidtransferring device in the event said pistons fail to raise the articleengaging means.

11. In an article transferring mechanism, the combination of a turretadapted to be rotated, devices on said turret to engage and raisearticles from a conveyor, an air cylinder for raising and loweringsaid/devices, a conveyor for conveying larticles t6 the turret, a stopfor limiting the movement of the articles in the direction of themovement of the conveyor, a member resiliently retained in position andadapted to be moved transversely of the conveyor and rotary meansadapted to move said resiliently retained member a predetermineddistance transversely of the conveyor periodically to position thearticles transversely thereon in position to be engaged and raised bysaid devices.

12. In an article transferring mechanism, the combination of a turretadapted to be rotated to engage and remove articles from a conveyor, aconveyor for conveying articles to the turret,

a member resiliently retained in position and.

adapted to be moved transversely of the conveyor, rotary means having aseries oi' retractable pins adapted to move said resiliently retainedmember transversely of the conveyor periodically to position kthearticles transversely thereon and means for retracting said pins torelease said resiliently retained member to permit it to return to itsnormal position to be engaged by a succeeding pin.

13. In a transferring device of the class described, the combination ofa turret adapted to be rotated to transfer articles from one position toanother, a plurality of suction heads mounted on said turret forengaging and holding the articles during transfer, valves on said turretfor subjecting said suction means to suction and atmosphere, devices foroperating said valves, an annular ring stationarily supported withrespect to said turret having members thereon for operating saiddevices, and means for changing the position of said ring to adjust theposition of all of said members simultaneously.

14. In a transferring device of the class described, the combination ofa turret adapted to be rotated to transfer articles from one position toanother, a plurality of suction heads mounted on said turret forengaging and holding the articles during transfer, valves on said turretfor subjecting said suction means to suction and atmosphere, devices foroperating said valves, an annular ring stationarily supported withrespect to said turret having members thereon for operating saiddevices, said ring having gear teeth thereon, and a manually operatedgear meshing with said teeth for changing the position oi' said ring toadjust the position of all of said members simultaneously.

15. In a transferring device of the class described, the combination ora rotating turret having vertical guideways, supporting means mounted tomove up and down in said guideways, a stationary cam effective to raiseand lower said supporting means, a plurality of suction heads mounted onsaid supporting means for engaging .and holding articles duringtransfer. valves on saidvturret forsubiecting said suction heads tsuction and atmosphere, devices for operating said valves, a pluralityof members stationarily supported with respect to said turret foroperating said devices, and means for adjusting the position of all ofsaid members simultaneously,

16. In a transferring device, the combination of a rotating turrethaving vertical guideways, supporting members mounted in said guidewayshaving cam rollers thereon, said supporting members depending from saidturret, a. stationary cam member effective upon said cam rollers toraise and lower said supporting members as the turret rotates, pneumaticcylinders, ball and socket means for pivotally connecting said`pneumatic of a rotating turret having vertical guideways,

supporting members mounted in said guideways having cam rollers thereon,said supporting members depending from said turret, a stationary cammember efl'ective upon said cam rollers to raise and lower saidsupporting members as the turret rotates, pneumatic cylinders mounted onsaid supporting members having suction heads reciprocably mountedthereon for engaging and supporting articles during transfer, suctionconnections for operating said suction heads and said pneumaticcylinders, valves on said turret for controlling said suctionconnections, a. plurality of members on said cam member for operatinglsaid valves, and means for adjusting the position of all of said valveoperating members simultaneously.

18. A transferring device as claimed in claim 17, in which said suctionheads are pivotally mounted.

19. In a transferring device, the combination of a rotating turrethaving vertical guideways, supporting members mounted in said guldewayshaving cam rollers thereon, said supporting members depending from saidturret, a stationary cam member effective upon said cam rollers to raiseand lower said supporting members as the turret rotates, pneumaticcylinders mounted on said supporting members having pistons therein,suction heads mounted on said pistons for engaging and supportingarticles during transfer, suction connections for operating saidpneumatic cylinders and suction heads, valves on said turret forcontrolling said suction connections and means on said camv member foroperating said valves.

20. A transferring device as claimed in claim 19, in which saidpneumatic cylinders are pivotally mounted on the supporting members.

21. In an article transferring mechanism, the combination of a turretadapted to be rotated to engage and remove articles from a conveyor, aconveyor for conveying articles to the-turret, a member adapted to bemoved laterally of the conveyor, rotary means having a series of pinsadapted to move said member laterally oi' the conveyor periodically toposition articles on the conveyor and a stationary cam for controllingthe movement of said pins into and out of engagement with said member tocontrol the move' means having a series of retractable pins adapted tomove said resiliently retained member transversely of the conveyorperiodically to position the articles thereon, and means including a camfor retracting said pins to release said resiliently retained member topermit it to return to its normal position to be engaged by a succeedingpin.

WILLIAM L. MCNAMARA.

